- They were killed after a landmine exploded beneath their Nigerian military vehicle in an area controlled by Islamic State-affiliated jihadists
At least seven soldiers have lost their in Nigeria’s north east State of Borno, anti-jihadist militia said Friday.
They were killed after a landmine exploded beneath their Nigerian military vehicle in an area controlled by Islamic State-affiliated jihadists
The soldiers were said to be on their way to Kukawa early Thursday when their vehicle drove over an improvised explosive device, two militia sources said.
“All the seven soldiers in the van died in the explosion at Bawarti village,” anti-jihadist militia leader Babakura Kolo said. The incident was confirmed by another militia official, Ibrahim Liman.
Both sources blamed Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), the dominant jihadist faction in the Lake Chad area.
Nigerian forces have been fighting a fight against an insurgency in the beleaguered region for more than a decade. About 40,00 people have been killed and two million people displaced from their homes in northeast Nigeria.
The intensity of the conflict has waned in recent months, but ISWAP and its rival Boko Haram still launch sporadic ambushes on convoys.